ERNEST KOROMA BLASTS POLICE FOR STOPPING WOMEN'S DEMO
By Abdul Karim Koroma

February 24, 2004 – (Concord Times - Freetown) Hon Ernest Bai Koroma has expressed his displeasure over last week's police order refusing the Methodist Women police clearance to process the streets of Freetown in order to demonstrate against the high cost of living.

Speaking to Concord Times over the weekend, the APC leader charged that the police should not have stopped the planned demonstration as the women had only intended exhibiting their constitutional rights.

Koroma said the police was not trained and equipped with British taxpayers money to suppress the views of the people.

He noted that the Police should have been able to control the women demonstrators who were not up to two thousand.

Koroma said this is the third demo the government has used the police to block and adds, "If they allow the people to go underground when they surface, they will be uncontrollable." He explained that demonstrations are part of the democratic process and democracy does not end with the holding of elections.

From: http://allafrica.com/stories/200402240239.html